Laylat Al Qadr — or the night of destiny — is one of the odd-numbered nights during the final 10 days of Ramadan in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.
An entire chapter is devoted to the night of destiny in the final part of the Quran, within which that night is described as “better than a thousand months” where the angels and the holy spirit Gabriel engulf the Earth.
The exact day of Laylat Al Qadr is not known, but the Prophet Mohammed said it falls in the last 10 nights of the holy month, on an odd-numbered night.
The 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th nights of Ramadan could be the night of destiny, so the period takes on great significance for Muslims.
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Worshippers at Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul. AP Photo -
Stores in the Khan Al Khalili bazaar in Cairo, Egypt, during the first week of Ramadan. Bloomberg -
A drummer sounds the wake-up call for residents of the Old City of Mosul, in northern Iraq, before the start of the day's fast. Reuters -
Volunteers prepare food for displaced people to break their fast in Al Qadarif, eastern Sudan. The country is experiencing its second consecutive Ramadan in the grip of conflict. AFP -
A woman offers first Friday noon prayers of Ramadan near the Dome of the Rock shrine, at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. AFP -
First Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al Farooq Omar bin Al Khattab mosque in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Restaurant staff sell Subcontinent street food to patrons on the streets of Bur Dubai as Iftar approaches. Antonie Robertson/The National -
A cleric guides Iraqi devotees as they perform an evening prayer known as 'Tarawih' at the Mohammed Amin mosque near Mosul. AFP -
Decorations adorn the streets of the Iraqi southern city of Basra ahead of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP -
Saudi men look to spot the first crescent of the moon marking the start of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in the southern Saudi city of Hautat Sudair. AFP -
First Ramadan Iftar at the The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The mosque is named after Umar bin Al Khattab, a companion of The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who became the second Caliph after Abu Bakr and was given the title Al Farooq, meaning someone who distinguished truth from falsehood. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Palestinians break their fast amid the rubble of their destroyed home during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Volunteers cook together portions of the traditional Libyan dish "Bazin", which consists of a dough made with barley, water, and salt in the coastal city of Tajura east of Tripoli, to be distributed to needy families during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. AFP -
Volunteers prepare to distribute Iftar meals to internally displaced people who fled from their border villages due to ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at a school turned into shelter, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. Reuters -
People shop for decorations for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at a shop in Beirut, Lebanon. AP -
Palestinians share an iftar meal, the breaking of fast, on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, at a camp for displaced people in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
Residents queue outside the iftar tent set up by Emirates Red Crescent and Oxy beside the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. Victor Besa / The National -
Mohammed El-Dahshan, a 39-year-old "Mesaharati," or dawn caller, rides his camel wrapped with colored led lights to wake Muslims up for a meal before sunrise, during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the Delta city of Dikernis, Egypt, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) north of Cairo. AP -
Egyptians perform an evening prayer known as 'Tarawih' on the eve of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at Cairo's historic mosque of Amr Ibn al-Aas. AFP -
Iftar at Imam Hussein Mosque also known as Iranian Mosque in Al Satwa, Dubai. Leslie Pableo for The National -
First Ramadan Morning Prayer at the The Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The mosque is named after Umar bin Al Khattab, a companion of The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who became the second Caliph after Abu Bakr and was given the title Al Farooq, meaning someone who distinguished truth from falsehood. Antonie Robertson/The National -
A boy plays with his toys outside the iftar tent set up by Emirates Red Crescent and Oxy beside the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Station. Victor Besa / The National -
Palestinian man Ismail Al-Khlout reads the Koran as he waits to break his fast while sitting on the rubble of his house, which was destroyed during Israel's military offensive as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, during the holy month of Ramadan, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters -
Muslims offering taraweeh prayers at Al Noor mosque in Sharjah. 11th March 2024 Photo Credit:Ahmed Ramzan for The National -
A sells cotton candy for iftar (breaking of the fast) on the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in the northern Syrian city of Al-Bab. AFP -
A cannon at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is fired to mark the end of the day's fasting. Victor Besa / The National
Many Muslims are keen to spend the final 10 nights of the holy month in worship, prayer and acts of kindness.
What is special about Laylat Al Qadr?
The reward for any good deed or act of worship conducted on that night is counted as more than one thousand months of doing it.
As the Prophet Mohammed once said after Ramadan had begun: “This month has come to you, and in it there is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of it is deprived of all goodness, and no one is deprived of its goodness except one who is truly deprived.”
What are Qiyam Al Layl prayers?
The main prayer carried out each evening during Ramadan is the taraweeh. It is an extra prayer that Muslims are advised to carry out at a mosque among fellow worshippers.
Many also perform Qiyam Al Layl — or night prayers — during the final ten nights. These prayers are often organised after midnight at mosques.
Night prayers are said to be ideal for asking God for blessings because it is said He is more likely to listen.
*This story first appeared in The National in 2022
